Ukraine war must end but the US is entering dangerous territory

By Tim Potier

It has been another bad week for the western world. Many have already commented on the argument in the Oval Office. I do not know whether a trap was laid for Zelenskiy. Actually, it is not the point. Such a spectacle (entertainment, even, as President Trump suggested) should never have been performed for the world to see. In this respect, all those involved should be blamed. Who started the row and who was more at fault is, again, not the point.

I have tremendous sympathy with President Zelenskiy. He is exasperated. Even if your sympathies are not with him, if you were he, you would be. His error, as a former actor, was not to have realised clearly the theatre – almost literally – in which he was performing. I have always had sympathy with those who have maintained that politicians are frustrated actors. Paradoxically, this occasionally plays out in reverse (that is, an actor who is a politician).

When Marine Le Pen expresses surprise and anger at the treatment of (I thought) a western ally (Ukraine) something must be up.

I have spent my career working in the field of international affairs. You soon learn to pay little attention to the public statements of political leaders, particularly when they are discussing foreign affairs. The sentences are always well-constructed, sound fair and reasonable, but it is the underlying message (not necessarily what they are saying: sometimes as much what they are not saying and/or how they are speaking) which is usually far more important and revealing.

Every country in this world, quite understandably, pursues its national interest. Some are more obvious about it than others. What has made the western world seemingly so special these past decades is its member countries’ wish to put their individual national interest alongside a set of values beyond and sometimes at variance with this.

In recent times, net zero has been a fine, but one, example. Nations – overwhelmingly from the western world – which recognise that achieving this goal will require much sacrifice but continue to make those sacrifices for the greater good.

Of course, in the international environment we still find ourselves in, it would be unreasonable to expect any country to relinquish its national interest entirely. It is understood that there has to be some balance.

What, though, has come as a considerable shock for many all around the world in recent weeks has been the apparent desire of the United States to jettison publicly anything which is not to its (at least adverted) advantage. There is absolutely nothing to stop Washington from doing this. Pursuing the national interest of the United States of America is its perfect right. It is just that countless millions of people around the world, living in both free and unfree nations, had come to believe that the US was among a group of countries which was at least to some extent different. It is this illusion – apparent or otherwise – which, for now, appears to have been shattered.

I do not doubt President Trump’s sincerity. I believe him when he expresses his opposition to wars. We know he was proud of his achievement during his first term, because he spoke often about it during the Biden administration. As someone who has lived and worked in Russia, it is insane that two historically fraternal peoples (Russians and Ukrainians) should be at war. President Trump is right that the economic cost for everyone, everywhere – not only Ukraine – is a terrible waste.

Instead of building better lives, limited resources will now be diverted towards yet another and new arms race. He is right. It is just that he needs to be more careful – if only in the longer term for the good of the United States and its people.

International relations is about making deals too (just like in the commercial world). However, the western world continues to benefit massively but indirectly from those above-indicated values. People from all over the globe want to live in free nations, with free economies, free from government interference. The United States is surely the epitome of this fact (proved in so many different ways). Therefore, for an administration to appear to be – even if it is not in reality – solely transactional, at the expense even of its allies, is a mistake which could do lasting damage to the country’s reputation.

The war in Ukraine must have some conclusion. I agree with the Trump administration. The longer it continues, the worse this is likely to be for Ukraine and for Russia. Inevitably, compromises will have to be made including by Ukraine. Eventually, sanctions against Russia will be lifted.

The United States has the opportunity to broker peace. Truthfully, China’s peace plan deserved much greater attention, but unfortunately for Beijing the country does not enjoy diplomatic influence comparable to the United States.

Washington’s desire to act as interlocutor explains, to give just one example, the country’s decision this week to pause intelligence sharing with Kyiv. We do not know what Moscow has been asked to do in return (something for sure). However, Washington, for confidence in its good offices to be maintained, needs to pay attention to what Moscow will be required to give up, and of this we have heard little or nothing.

Two things are for sure. First, if the reputation of the United States is not to be irredeemably compromised, it must not be seen to be profiting from any ceasefire or end to this war. Second, Russia must be required to withdraw from Ukraine. We are now in 2025, not 1945. The world has changed.

Besides, many other nations are watching. If Russia is seen to be rewarded territorially, tens of thousands of people in other continents will lose their lives unnecessarily as a direct consequence for the conflicts that such rewards will inevitably generate. Remember these words. Naturally, the question will then be, what does Russia get in return?

Professor Tim Potier is a non-resident senior fellow in the Centre for International Law and Governance, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (US). He is also a consultant with tailormadesolutions.org